Star Sports Pro Kabaddi: 5 talking points from the Mumbai leg

The final leg of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 3 witnessed some dazzling display ofkabaddi throughout the four days of action at the NSCI Stadium in Mumbai. Defending champions UMumba stamped their authority once again as they thoroughly dominated all their opponents, whileBengal Warriors and Puneri Paltan will be making their debut in the Round of 4.As the PKL now moves on to the knock-out rounds, we take a look at the highlights from the recently-concluded Mumbai leg. Here are its five biggest talking points:

#1 U Mumba top the table

A still from U Mumba’s final match vs Dabang Delhi

“It is not how you start but how you finish that matters,” Sachin Tendulkar once said. The defending PKL champions U Mumba seem to have taken a leaf out of the legendary cricketer’s book.

The Anup Kumar-led outfit did not start their title defense in the best way, slumping to two defeats in their first four matches. They were even handed a crushing 26-40 defeat by the Patna Pirates in the early going. But that was the last time that Bhaskaran Edachery’s men lost a match.

They are currently riding a sizzling run of 10 consecutive wins, which also included a 34-28 defeat of none other than the Pirates. With such a staggering performance, the U Mumba franchise also usurped the top spot in the 2016 league table from the Pirates.

Much to the delight of the crowd, U Mumba maintained their clean sheet at home in the league phase; they still haven't lost a single league encounter at the NSCI through the three seasons. What has been most remarkable about this team is how well the different team members have coordinated amongst themselves, with each playing his role efficiently. While Anup Kumar, Rakesh Kumar and Rishank Devadiga lead their attack expertly, they have Fazel Atrachali and Mohit Chhillar to man their box with assurance and panache.

U Mumba have clearly set the benchmark for the rest of the teams, and Bengal Warriors now have the near-impossible task of conjuring some magic to topple the defending champions in the semi-final on Friday.

#2 Pardeep Narwals heroics go in vain

Pardeep Narwal of Patna Pirates in action against Telugu Titans

The Patna Pirates have looked a lethal unit for most of the 2016 season, but they have been relegated to the second spot as they head to the semi-finals. The Pirates were narrowly edged 41-42 by the Telugu Titans in their final league assignment, which was just their second defeat this season.

Perhaps the Pirates players were too relaxed, having already bagged the coveted semi-final place. Their talismanic raider Rohit Kumar was missing in the match, but young ace Pardeep Narwal made up for his absence with a stupendous performance.

Narwal effected two super raids during the match and mesmerized the spectators with his exhibition of power and precision. His efforts also saw him emulating Dabang Delhi player Kashiling Adake’s record haul of 24 points, which was registered against the Telugu Titans in PKL2.

Narwal's heroics weren't enough to stave off defeat though, as the Titans kept fighting till the end. That said, this result seems to be an aberration, with coach Sanjiv Kumar Baliyan playing it safe to avert any major injury before the knock-out rounds. On Friday, the Pirates will likely be back to full strength as they lock horns with Puneri Paltan in their hunt for their maiden final berth.

#3 Bengal and Pune secure maiden semi-final berths

Puneri Paltan and Bengal Warriors qualified for the semis in Season 3

The third edition of the PKL will remain memorable for two teams – Puneri Paltan and Bengal Warriors – as they secured their maiden semi-final berths.

The first two seasons did not prove to be fruitful for either Bengal or Pune, and a semi-final appearance seemed like a distant dream. But in 2016, both teams made a majestic turnaround and clinched the third and the fourth places at the end of the league stage.

One of the reasons for the third-placed Pune’s success is their recruitment of last season’s MVP, Manjeet Chhillar, who left the 2015 finalists Bengaluru Bulls. Chhillar's robust defensive skills coupled with his superb attacking instincts inspired the whole team to overcome a slow start to their 2016 campaign and storm into the last four.

With seven wins and four losses along with three draws, the Pune outfit accumulated 48 points to take the third spot by just one point.

Bengal, on the other hand, led the table in the initial legs, but had to be content with just the fourth spot as the league stage ended. They had two more victories than Pune this season and one loss more, which fetched them 47 points. Still, it has been a relatively satisfactory display by Pratap Shetty’s men, considering how mightily they struggled in the first two seasons.

Both teams finished the Mumbai leg with one win and one loss, and will now look to use their growing confidence to reach the final.

#4 Luck runs out for Telugu Titans in the end

Telugu Titans suffered a loss against U Mumba in their final match of Season 3 to crash out

Riding on star raider Rahul Chaudhari’s brilliance, the Telugu Titans had ended their 2015 challenge with a 34-26 win over Patna Pirates in the third place playoff. However, this time their hopes of making it through to the last-four again were dashed even though they did come close in the end.

The Titans ultimately finished at the fifth spot with seven wins and as many losses. Their total of 38 points gave them a deficit of nine points from the fourth-ranked Bengal Warriors. One of the prime factors for the Titans’ inability to produce an encore of their 2015 result was the inconsistent form of their skipper Rahul.

He was a bit off-colour in the middle stages of the tournament, especially after returning from the South Asian Games. That said, the winner of the ‘Raider of the Tournament’ award in 2014 did show glimpses of his impressive talent and unstoppable pace during the Titans’ clash with the-then table toppers, the Patna Pirates. Rahul amassed 14 points and was the highest scorer from the Vizag-based side which helped them register a thrilling one-point win.

But the Telugu side could hardly do anything to subdue the irrepressible U Mumba in their next assignment. The Indian international was once again the best player from the visitors as he scooped up 12 points, but the defending champions proved to be a bridge too far as they thumped the Titans 38-22 to end their semifinal hopes.

#5 Struggles continue for Delhi, Bengaluru and Jaipur

Ever since winning the tournament in Season 1, Jaipur Pink Panthers have failed to even qualify for the semis

As the PKL now enters the knock-out stages, the tournament ends for Dabang Delhi, Bengaluru Bulls and 2014 champions Jaipur Pink Panthers. It is a shame that the Abhishek Bachchan-owned team has to bow out after starting off on such a high note, a 27-18 hammering of the table toppers U Mumba.

If that result presented them with a glimmer of hope after missing out on a semi-final spot last season by a whisker, they failed to consolidate on it and let a massive opportunity slip by. This season, they could grab just four wins while losing eight of their matches. The teamwork was largely missing, and a clear strategy was found wanting in most of their matches.

The same can be said for last season’s runners-up Bengaluru Bulls who simply could not match their memorable 2015 campaign. When they let U Mumba stage a late fight-back and snatch a 29-28 victory from the jaws of defeat, it pretty much slammed the door shut on their chances. Repeatedly squandering massive leads proved costly for Bengaluru, which ultimately robbed them of their self-belief too.

Dabang Delhi’s fortunes remained unchanged from last season as they failed to show the required team cohesiveness again. Their only win of the season came against fellow strugglers Bengaluru Bulls, whom the bottom-placed team thrashed 35-21.

Needlessly to say, a lot of hard work lies ahead for each of these three teams.